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Tennis
Full-stop for Molik
Afp, Sydney

Alicia Molik

Australia's Alicia Molik, winner of five WTA singles titles and an Olympic bronze medallist, has announced her retirement from tennis.

Molik, one of the biggest servers in women's tennis, said she was quitting at the age of 27, after injuries and a debilitating inner ear infection that forced her off the court for almost a year.

Although Molik recovered from the infection, she was never able to regain the peak form that saw her ranked number eight in the world in 2005, after a quarter final appearance at the Australian Open.

Fairfax Newspapers reported Friday that recent leg and arm injuries convinced the tall right-hander that it was time to retire.

"It's tiring and it's very draining but I guess it's a number of things culminating," said Molik from the state of South Australia.

"I've spent a lot of time thinking.

"I did have a huge setback three years ago, with my middle ear problem.

"It took a while to get back and since then I've just struggled with a few more things that I never imagined would come along the way.

"But that isn't the only thing.

"I think I'm still young enough to focus my energies on something that I feel is again challenging."

Molik's last outing was a first-round exit at the Beijing Olympics in August, having won bronze in the singles four years ago in Athens.

She had bowed out in the first round at her last five tournaments, since reaching the fourth round in Prague in May.




 

South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup
Bojan set to be capped
Afp, Madrid

Bojan Krkic

After three missed chances, Barcelona's promising teenage striker Bojan Krkic is poised to earn his first cap for Spain in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia and Armenia.

Bojan, who turned 18 last month, was the most significant absence from the squad which new Spain coach Vicente del Bosque assembled for the match against Bosnia on Saturday in Murcia and against Armenia four days later in Albacete.

But after Liverpool striker Fernando Torres pulled a hamstring on Premier League duty the coach called on Bojan as a replacement instead of Real Betis' Sergio Garcia, who was part of the Spain squad that won Euro 2008, or Real Madrid captain Raul.

"For me it is an award to be with the champions of Europe," he said. "But I'm not anxious."

"If I have the opportunity to make my debut all the better, but if not, it will happen another time. I'm not worried," he added.

Born in Spain to a Serbian father and a Catalan mother, Bojan has represented Spain at both Under-17 and Under-21 levels.

He got his first call for the senior team at the start of the year when then Spain coach Luis Aragones included the striker in his line-up for a friendly against France on February 6 which he ultimately missed due to illness.

Bojan then opted out of Spain's Euro 2008-winning squad due to fatigue after his debut season with Barcelona's first team.

"I talked to him and he told me he did not feel at his best physically and mentally," said Aragones at the time.

"It is something I respect. I don't usually talk to players before announcing my squad but this was special given Bojan's age," he added.

Del Bosque, who took over the Spain squad after Euro 2008, included Bojan in his line-up for the first match under his watch, a friendly against Denmark held last month.

But Bojan, who scored 10 goals in the Spanish league last season - one more than Real Madrid captain Raul during his first season in La Liga in 1994 - remained on the bench during the match.

Now he appears ready to make his debut for the senior team given the absence of Torres and Valencia midfielder David Silva due to injury.

"I've been Spanish since I was little and for that reason I'm here, I want to play with the Spanish team," said Bojan, who recently got his driving licence.

"The call-up is already very important for me, irrespective of whether I play or not," he added.




 

Sports
Football
South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup
Much to do for Dunga
Afp, Montevideo

Brazil star Ronaldinho controls the ball during a training session in Teresopolis on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Brazil's failure to capture gold at the Olympics, and worse, losing to Argentina on the way, has put coach Dunga under yet more pressure for their World Cup qualifier in Chile on Sunday.

High-profile striker Robinho has also joined the squad following his move to Manchester City from Real Madrid and Dunga has him at his disposal to help them move up from fifth place in the 10-team South American table in this seventh round of the 18-match qualifying series.

No coach's job is harder than that of Brazil, a record five-times World Cup winners and who are the only team to have played in every World Cup finals.

"We have to win. I know that," said Dunga.

"The Chile game will be difficult but we must look for the three points."

Brazil, who if they stayed in fifth place would have to playoff with a Concacaf side for a place at the South Africa finals in 2010, have only won two of their six games to date and are four points behind leaders Paraguay and two adrift of Argentina, in second spot.

Dunga faces a selection poser over which two strikers - out of Ronaldinho, Robinho and Luis Fabiano - to use up front.

Reports claim Dunga will not leave Robinho on the bench because he was one of the few stars to shine in winning the Copa America in Venezuela last year, with Robinho scoring all three goals in their 3-0 victory over Chile.

Manchester City's new man has played 30 times and scored nine goals since his debut in 2006.

Argentina coach Alfio Basile, fresh from claiming Olympic gold last month, has a myriad of options and talent available for Saturday's top-of-the table clash against Paraguay in Buenos Aires.

He could play Boca Juniors' Juan Riquelme as the playmaker behind Lionel Messi of Barcelona with Liverpool's Javier Mascherano in a forward position.

He also has Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez at his disposal, plus Napoli's German Denis and Newcastle's Jonas Gutierrez as players giving his side attacking impetus.

In midfield, Basile has the revelation of the Olympic games in Benfica's Angel De Maria, Lisandro Lopez of FC Porto, plus Boca Juniors' Sebastian Battaglia and Esteban Cambiasso of Inter Milan as possible starters.

Keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri of Spanish club Getafe would be expected to start the game with Juan Pablo Carrizo as understudy. The defensive line is clearer in selection terms with Martin Demichelis, Fabricio Coloccini, Gabriel Heinze and Javier Zanetti likely to be the back four.

The game, which kicks off at 1900GMT in the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, is expected to be sold out.

About 23,000 of 30,000 tickets which went on sale on Tuesday were snapped up on the same day, and seven thousand Paraguayans, who live in Argentina, are likely to attend, according to the Argentinian football federation.

Meanwhile, Paraguay's former goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert said he believed his country could win the fixture, claiming their position at the top of the table was merited.

"Hopefully Paraguay will have a great game," said the goalkeeper at the 1998 World Cup finals in France. "They have the team capable of winning."

And on Paraguay's team, he added: "If we could enter a time tunnel, I would love to have had some of the players at the World Cup in France," referring to Roque Santa Cruz, Salvador Cabins and Oscar Cardozo.

Paraguay held their own in the second round against eventual 1998 champions France, finally losing 1-0 to a Laurent Blanc goal after Chilavert had had the match of his life in Lens.

Other matches taking place this weekend see Ecuador against Bolivia, Colombia facing Uruguay, and Peru v Venezuela.

The teams will have a couple of days or so to regroup before further battles in midweek.

Paraguay host Venezuela on Tuesday, with Wednesday fixtures comprising Uruguay versus Ecuador, Chile against Colombia, Peru entertaining Argentina and Brazil at home to Bolivia.




 

Sports
Cricket
Last chance for solace
Tigercricket.com, Darwin

Bangladesh fast bowler Shahadat Hossain runs in to bowl yesterday during a training session ahead of the third and final one-day international against Australia in Darwin. Shahadat has so far taken three wickets from two outings. Photo: AFP

With the series gone already and their image taking a beating Bangladesh know that tomorrow's third and final ODI against Australia will be the final opportunity to recover lost pride.

The Tigers have lost the two games by 180 runs and 8 wickets and scored 74 and 117 which is not the team's real game, said captain Mohammad Ashraful.

"We have not played the cricket we are capable of. It has been a very disappointing series so far but still there is one game to go and hopefully the batting will click tomorrow (Saturday)," said Ashraful who also reminded the openers of their responsibility.

"If the bat out 10-12 overs then the rest of the batsmen can play their natural game. That can get us to a decent total. We have not had an opening stand in this series and that hurts the team's chances."

On the talks and speculations regarding his captaincy and whether he needs a break Ashraful said he hasn't even contemplated the issue.

"Only thing I am thinking about right now is the match and how we can all bring our best cricket to the ground. We still have a lot of cricket to play," said Ashraful and continued, "As far as I am concerned I am enjoying captaincy and a few good results will stop all negative talk."

"The coach (Jamie Siddons) is a straightforward and honest person and I have taken his views regarding my performance and captaincy very positively. We are working really hard and sooner or later results are bound to come," said Ashraful.

Bangladesh left out Mehrab Hossain who had opened the batting in the first two games. That means Tamim Iqbal will be partnered by Zunaed Siddiqui in the opening stand. Pacers Nazmul Hossain and Dollar Mahmud are also out and replaced by allrounders Farhad Reza and Mahmudullah Riyad.

Tomorrow's match starts at 9:30am local time (6:00am) Bangladesh Standard Time). The Bangladesh team will fly out of Darwin midnight tomorrow for Dhaka with stopovers in Sydney and Hong Kong.

TEAMS
BANGLADESH: Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddiqui, Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kapali, Dhiman Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Forhad Reza, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain.

AUSTRALIA (likely): Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Michael Clarke (captain), Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Cameron White, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark.




 

Sports
Football
Poldi's point to prove
Afp, Berlin

Germany striker Lukas Podolski (R) and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger practise during a training session in Oberhaching on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Germany striker Lukas Podolski has a point to prove to his club Bayern Munich when Die Mannschaft start their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign in Liechtenstein on Saturday.

Despite shining brightly for Germany at both last June's Euro 2008 and the 2006 World Cup, Podolski is bitterly unhappy about the prospect of facing another season on Bayern's bench.

The 23-year-old has scored 28 goals for Germany in 55 appearances, but can not command a starting place at Bayern having made just four starts last season in the German league and one of the three so far this term.

Podolski is set to face Liechtenstein on Saturday in Vaduz and Finland in Helsinki next Wednesday in their Group 4 qualifying games.

But having been told by Bayern manager Uli Hoeness to accept his place on the bench - while coach Jurgen Klinsmann says he needs to "step on the gas" - Podolski has a point to prove to his Bayern bosses.

"I can't accept being told to stop whining about the situation," an annoyed Podolski told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung after hearing Hoeness' comments.

Since joining Bayern in July 2006, Podolski failed to impress in his first season and struggled for chances in his second behind first-choice forwards Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni.

And he has given his strongest indication yet about his desire to leave Bayern.

"If I had known how things were going to go this season, I would not have extended my contract," he told German tabloid Bild.

"I am unhappy and bitter that I am not playing from the start of matches and have been left on the bench again."

Podolski says he will consider his options when the transfer window re-opens in January.

He said: "The point arrives where one says: it gets on my nerves! I am not progressing here! I can't put up with this any longer!"

Having spent last season as third-choice striker under Ottmar Hitzfeld, Podolski now finds himself in the same position under new Bayern coach Klinsmann.

And he is annoyed to be down the pecking order with his rival Klose struggling for form in recent months.

"I don't see myself as third choice," said Podolski.

Germany coach Joachim Loew is a confirmed Lukas Podolski fan.

"When you look at his performances at the 2005 Confederations Cup, the World Cup and Euro 2008, Lukas has always completely answered his critics - something not even Cristiano Ronaldo has always done," said Loew on Thursday.

"From my experience, Lukas is not the sort of player who whines, he is very professional.

"The fact he is not happy at the moment is normal - in fact it would be unprofessional if he was content with the situation.

"But he must fight for his place at Bayern and learn everything he is told."

With the Bundesliga currently on a two-week break, Podolski will resume his quest for a Bayern place for their next game - against his old club Cologne on September 13.

Premier League clubs Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have both expressed an interest in signing him.

But Podolski has made no secret of his desire to return to Cologne - his "first love" - and his marriage to Bayern certainly appears to be on the rocks.




 

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Sports
Cricket
Academy off to Colombo
Sports Reporter

Members of the GP-BCB National Cricket Academy pose for a photo with BCB cricket operations committee chairman Gazi Ashraf Hossain (sitting, centre) at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. Photo: STAR

The GP-BCB National Cricket Academy side left Dhaka last night to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo for a 22-day tour.

The 15-member squad will first play a two-day warm-up game and then go on to play two four-day and three one-day games against their Lankan counterparts.

Nayeem Islam, the right-handed batsman, will lead the side replacing left-arm spinner Suharwardi Shuvo, who led in South Africa. Marshall Ayub, another talented right-handed bat, has been chosen as his deputy after his fine performance in the previous tour.

But their overall performance was not upto standards in South Africa, despite winning the opening four-dayer by one wicket. They went on to lose the next four-day game against the South African Academy and lost the one-day series 1-2.

Wicketkeeper Ashiqul Islam, who fared pretty well in the under-19 World Cup, has been chosen ahead of Sahagir Hossain while Abahani's aggressive opener Mahbubul Karim will also tour Sri Lanka.

SQUAD
Nayeem Islam (captain), Marshall Ayub (vice-captain), Shamsur Rahman, Imrul Kayes, Farhad Hossain, Mahbubul Karim, Nasir Hossain, Suharwardi Shuvo, Arafat Sunny, Sajidul Islam, Delwar Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Rubel Hossain, Ziaur Rahman and Ashiqul Islam (wicketkeeper).




 

Sports
Cricket
It remains 4-0
CricInfo, undated

England captain Kevin Pietersen (C) poses with the trophy after rain abandoned the fifth and final one-dayer against South Africa at the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff on Thursday. England clinched the five-match series 4-0. Photo: AFP

England's hopes of securing a 5-0 whitewash over South Africa were denied by the Welsh rain, as the fifth and final ODI at Cardiff was abandoned after only three overs of play. England will no doubt feel frustrated in being deprived a fifth win in succession, but a scoreline of 4-0 against South Africa represents an achievement far beyond their pre-series aspirations. Not even Kevin Pietersen, their unerringly positive captain, could have foreseen England's dominance.

South Africa, who recalled Justin Ontong in place of Vernon Philander, only had three overs in which to bat, but such is their flattened confidence that they lost Herschelle Gibbs, perhaps the only man in their current lineup capable of ratcheting them out of their slump. A neat outswinger from Stuart Broad lured him into a loose drive, and Matt Prior pulled off his second diving catch of the series, clinging on with his right hand in front of first slip. Demure -- perhaps even expectant -- celebrations by England were an acute reminder of just how dramatically Pietersen's team have stolen the late-summer momentum.

And that was that. The Cardiff rain shot down from the heavens to end England's international summer, and finally finish what has been a thoroughly dismal denouement to South Africa's tour. Their 2-1 win in the Test series seems an awfully long time ago now, and as Jacques Kallis has admitted, their one-day tribulations -- of the sort England themselves have become far too accustomed to -- has scuffed the gloss of their visit. It seems inconceivable there won't be a clear-out when the debrief takes place in Johannesburg in the next few weeks.

A disappointing day for England, but also for Wales. The match was the first to be held at Cardiff's revamped stadium, the contentious venue for the first Ashes Test next summer. Quibbles aside about its makeshift, untraditional appearance, it was mostly a shame that a full 100 overs weren't possible in order to gauge just what sort of pitch England will face Australia on next summer.

And yet, despite the Cardiff clouds, nothing can dampen England's mood. It was a faintly absurd notion that England were in a position to win this series 5-0. Indeed, they should have, had the rain not intervened. But 4-0 is no less loopy a result considering the hapless ODI form they have shown for so many years, and although they would have skipped into second position in the world rankings with Wednesday's win, they nestle neatly and proudly into third.

Perplexed wonderment aside, the solution to England's one-day woes has been relatively simple. Pietersen has coaxed Steve Harmison out of retirement and squeezed the best out of him as a second and third-change bowler. In addition, his best friend, Andrew Flintoff, has found a rich vein of batting form, carving two innings of 78 and a blistering 31 in the shortened 20-over thrash at Lord's. Aside from the two giants, Pietersen has shown confidence in Owais Shah, whom he lofted to No. 3, while Samit Patel -- who played with him at Nottinghamshire -- has offered runs, wickets and a calm head. All four of these players have at one time or another been described as contentious characters. Pietersen doesn't care about their past troubles, however, and appears to be getting the very best out of them.

It was Flintoff, however, who was the difference between the two teams. Averaging 187 with the bat and 12.90 with the ball, he slowed South Africa's innings down and accelerated England's. Perhaps more importantly, the added responsibility of his status as the senior statesman of the side hasn't dulled his naturally youthful instincts, unlike the burden of captaincy which surely did.

Pietersen, on the other hand, appears unsaddled by his new leadership role, though he did admit to being "knackered" prior to the match. If he's tired now, one can only imagine the exhaustion he might feel when things don't go quite so swimmingly. For now, though, a successful start to his tenure has hinted at an exciting time for England in one-day cricket, and all eyes now turn to Antigua.